


It's All About Positive Reinforcement

by Kateera



Series: All In a Summer [23]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Movie Night, Pillow & Blanket Forts, jim is a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 06:51:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12383115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateera/pseuds/Kateera
Summary: A late summer storm sends Oswald to Jim's house with a plan. Jim is more than willing to follow along.





	It's All About Positive Reinforcement

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Prompt, Storm  
> We've been having rain this past week and a blanket fort sounded like the best idea.
> 
> I can't say enough about [thekeyholder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeyholder) and all their hard work as my beta!
> 
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_) to say hi and ask questions and flail over Gobblepot.

**_Knock. Knock.  
  
_**

Jim walked to the door, checking his phone while he opened the door, expecting a text from Oswald as soon as he was finished with work.  


_Who could be out in this weather?_  


Pulling the door open, he blinked in surprise at the sight of Oswald standing under the awning, wearing his worn out backpack and shaking out his umbrella.   


“What are you doing here? It's raining like crazy out there!" Jim pulled him into the house and took the umbrella from him.   


Oswald shook his head with a smile and slipped off his overcoat. "Mr. Gilzean sent me home early and I've let mother know that I'm not coming home tonight."  


"What?" Jim took Oswald's coat and tucked it in the corner closet.  


Grabbing onto his t-shirt, Oswald pulled Jim close and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I missed you. I feel like since we got back from vacation, I haven't seen you for more than an hour at a time."   


Jim smiled, wrapping his arms around Oswald and hugging him close. "You missed me?"  


"Like crazy." Oswald's eyes sparked with mischief. "I can show you how much once we're alone."  


Blushing at Oswald's satisfied smirk, Jim leaned down and kissed him, sucking on his bottom lip and pulling at his hair till he whimpered and collapsed. Jim's arms held him upright as Oswald melted against him.   


"Something like that?" He wanted to capture the look of Oswald's face forever, flushed and dazed and licking his lips like Jim was some dessert he couldn’t get enough of.    


Clearing his throat, Oswald pulled back and pressed a hand to his cheek. "I'll get back to you."  


Throwing his head back, Jim laughed and threw his arm around Oswald’s shoulders. “So, did you have anything else up your sleeves, besides surprising your boyfriend?”  


“Movies, junk food, and hiding away in your room.” Oswald pulled his backpack off and tossed it to Jim. “I got the movies and junk food covered, but I’m counting on you to raid your fridge for drinks.”  


Jim snorted. “Yeah, cause mom always gets the best soda for her drinks.” He opened the backpack as they entered his room and pulled out one of the movies. “Oswald, this is a cartoon.”  


“No, it’s an animated feature film and it’s fantastic.” Opening the closet, Oswald pulled down extra blankets and pillows, piling them on Jim’s bed. “Go grab some cushions from the living room and the drinks, pretty please.”  


“Kiss in payment?” Jim asked, wiggling his eyebrows as Oswald sighed.  


“You’re entirely too needy, you know that, right?” Walking to where Jim stood waiting, Oswald pressed a light kiss to his cheek and pulled back with a grin. “Half now, half when you get back with our supplies.”  


“You don’t trust me?” Jim held a hand to his chest in shock.  


“Kissing leads to more kissing and leads to distraction and then I don’t get soda,” Oswald said, waving his hand at the door. “Now get.”  


Jim gave him a smart salute and ran out of the door, his happiness melting through his entire body as he followed his instructions. It had been a strangely busy time for Oswald once they returned from vacation and Jim tried to stay out of his way as he fretted about his workload and his mother and what Mr. Gilzean might have in store for him. It hadn’t been easy, but Jim hadn’t realized how lonely he’d been until Oswald appeared on his doorstep.  


I should say something. I miss him too much to keep going on like this.  


Grabbing a grocery bag full of soda cans and a couple of couch cushions, Jim went back to his room to find his bed stripped and blankets taped up to the ceiling.   


“What are you doing?”   


“Making a blanket fort. What’s it look like I’m doing?” Oswald hopped down from the chair he was using as a stool and took the cushions from Jim.  


“Why?” Jim placed the bag of soda next to Oswald’s backpack and watched Oswald use the cushions to prop up one side of the fort.  


“The weather report said that this rain is just the start and we’re about to get a huge thunderstorm.” Oswald pulled his chair to the other side of the fort and used it to prop up another blanket. “Thunderstorms at my house mean blankets and pillows and movies until the power goes out.”  


Looking from Oswald to the blanket fort, Jim held up a hand. “Give me one moment.”  


He raced to his mother’s room, knocking on the door and rocking back and forth on his feet until she came to the door.  


“What is it, Jim?” She asked, holding a hand to her head. “This rain is giving me a headache.”  


“Can I borrow your throw pillows?” He gave her his best pleading face. “Oswald came over and we’re building a fort for the storm.”  


She wrinkled her brow but waved him into the room. “Aren’t you a little old for pillow forts?”   


Jim shook his head and grinned. “Don’t know, don’t care. It’s fun and the forecast is calling for thunder and lightning.”  


She clutched her head and sighed. “I’m going to take a sleeping pill and hope it passes quickly.” Raising an eyebrow, she shook her finger at Jim. “Can I trust you two to behave?”  


“Of course,” Jim said, filling his eyes with as much innocence as he could muster. “We’re going to watch movies and snack and wait out the storm.” He kissed her cheek with his arms full of pillows. “Sleep well.”  


Shooing him out of her room, she closed the door and Jim let out a sigh of relief. He walked into his room with the pillows and laughed as Oswald clapped his hands in excitement.  


“Mom is going to be sleeping the rest of the night.” Depositing the pillows on the bed, Jim whistled at the impressive fort. “You’re good at this.”  


“Gotham has lots of storms, so I’ve had practice.” Placing the new pillows on the floor of their fort, Oswald stepped back and crossed his arms in satisfaction. “Done.” He looked at Jim. “Movie time.”  


“Nope,” Jim said with a solemn look. “Kiss time. Pay up.”  


Oswald gave him a slow blink and walked forward, wrapping his arms around Jim’s waist. “I wouldn’t want you to think I don’t pay my debts.” Pressing forward, Oswald placed a kiss on his lips.   


Jim moaned as the familiar buzz of need crept through his body, the love he felt for Oswald making him dizzy and out of breath. Pulling back from the kiss, he placed his forehead against Oswald’s and took a deep breath.   


“You’re too good at that,” Oswald whispered. “It’s not fair.”  


Jim huffed in laughter. “It’s only with you, I promise.”  


With his heart pounding in his chest and his mind racing with how much he wanted to press Oswald into the pillows, Jim stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. “So, um, movie?”  


It took a few blinks for Oswald to register his words, but then he smiled and dove into the fort. Jim watched him settle into the pillows, pulling out movies and snacks, and he pulled out his phone. The sound of his camera click grabbed Oswald’s attention and he stuck his tongue out at the sight of Jim holding up his phone for pictures.  


“Less picture taking, more cuddling,” Oswald said, patting the place beside him.  


“It’s your fault that you’re so cute.” Jim clicked a few more pictures and tucked his phone away. “I need to document it.”  


Shaking his head and blushing bright red, Oswald handed him a DVD case. “This one first.”  


He popped the disk into his video game console and settled back into the pillows. The movie started up and Oswald handed him a bag of Twizzlers. They watched the movie while the sky poured rain and thunder cracked against the windows.   


“How is he so smart but doesn’t know how to pronounce school?” Jim asked as he chewed on his red licorice.  


“Copper as a weakness is the dumbest thing ever.” Jim looked at Oswald who stared very hard at the screen and didn’t answer.  


“Code, pass the soda.” Oswald held out his hand and Jim snorted.  


“Code, okay.”  


“Oh my god, I love it. He can’t even spell his own name!” Jim laughed and draped himself over Oswald’s lap, his eyes still glued to the screen.  


“I knew it!”   


“Yes, yes, you’re very smart.” Oswald patted Jim’s arm. “Now shush.”  


“He’s not used to positive reinforcement!” Oswald repeated while Jim held a hand over his mouth to keep from spraying cola everywhere.  


“Just like you,” Jim decided as the strains of “I’m Bad” played over the speakers. “You’re still getting used to my positive reinforcement.”  


Oswald shrugged and looked in his backpack for the next movie. “You think I’m cute. That’s not been my experience with other people.”  


Taking the backpack from Oswald, Jim grabbed his shoulders and made him look up. “You’re adorable. People are idiots.”  


Watching Oswald blush, Jim pressed kisses to his cheeks and forehead and nose, loving the way his freckles stood out against the pink of his skin. “I love you. Don’t doubt that, okay?”  


“I don’t, I promise.” Oswald’s soft smile sent a shiver down Jim’s spine.   


“You keep looking at me like that, and we won’t make it through another movie,” Jim said, his voice low and rough.   


Jim felt Oswald shudder and pulled him close, nibbling on his throat while hands threaded through his hair. The backpack sat forgotten by the bed and the movie title screen repeated on the TV while Jim found the spot on the side of Oswald’s neck that made him whimper and squirm against him.   


Thunder rumbled through the house and lightning split the sky, but Jim and Oswald didn’t notice the wrath of the storm. They held tight to each other under the safety of the blankets and pillows and let the rest of the world fade away.


End file.
